This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Rotor systems of rotorcraft and tiltrotor aircraft include inboard and outboard bearing assemblies that connect rotor blades to a yoke. The yoke is connected by a hub to a drive mast driven by a power source. The yoke is often manufactured of composite material instead of metal for weight savings. The inboard and outboard bearing assemblies accommodate forces acting on the rotor blades allowing each rotor blade to flex with respect to the yoke/mast and other rotor blades. A particular distance between the inboard and outboard bearing assemblies is dependent on aircraft configuration where each configuration has an optimal distance for that particular aircraft's loads and dynamics. Typically, the outboard bearing assembly includes a centrifugal force (“CF”) bearing and a shear bearing connected to both the rotor blade and a tip of a yoke arm while the inboard bearing assembly includes a shear bearing connected to both the rotor blade and the yoke in a cut-out proximate the drive mast. CF loads can be significantly greater than shear loads. The CF bearing which accommodates the CF load is typically outboard at the tip of the yoke arm since the cut-out in the yoke compromises the strength of the yoke and provides a common yoke failure point.